A small Monmouth County school has been closed for cleaning following a spike in student absences.

State law requires schools to close if 20 percent of its students are out sick. After 27 of Farmingdale Elementary School's 150 students stayed home sick, Superintendent Cheri Crowl made the call to shut down the institution, even though the number of ill students only totaled 12 percent.

Custodians bleached the whole school. "We're gonna sanitize everything," says custodian Jimmy Pantelaras.

Cleaning will continue throughout the evening. School is expected to reopen as scheduled Friday morning.